Independent Adjudicator confirms students set for strike compensation

The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education have issued a briefing note, in which they encourage students to make formal complaints in order to secure compensation for disruption caused by the recent UCU strikes.

The impact of the strike action has varied by course and university. Whilst some students have missed only one or two scheduled sessions, others have had this semester entirely disrupted.

However, you should be eligible for some compensation even if you were not significantly affected. See below for how to start this process.

The Independent Adjudicator have detailed some of the factors they will consider when awarding compensation, including “the potential difference in value of final year teaching compared to first year teaching.”

Michael told students in March it would be “virtually impossible” to calculate compensation for missed teaching. However, the Independent Adjudicator awards compensation from universities (including UoM!) to thousands of students each year, and confirm in their briefing note that many of these are about teaching that has not been delivered.

This leaves two possible conclusions.

1 – UoM’s management, when drafting their response to demands for compensation and claiming it was “virtually impossible” to calculate, were so incompetent they did not know that compensation is calculated on a regular basis.

How to claim compensation via the Independent Adjudicator

Students can bring complaints to the Adjudicator totally free of charge, and unlike predatory law firms promising to secure compensation on a “no-win-no-fee” (read: commision!) basis, nobody will take a cut of any compensation.

The Adjudicator also has the advantage of interpreting the legal terms of relevant contracts “in a broader context than the strict legal principles the Courts have to apply,” in order to decide whether a university has acted “fairly.”

Note: This process is largely the same at every university, though the steps below specifically discuss UoM’s procedures. Google is your friend.

Masters students have seen their courses decimated

The briefing note bodes well for many Masters students who claim their course has been “ruined” by the effects of strike action. With most Masters students only studying for one year, this would have consisted of just two 10 week semesters, followed by a dissertation.

Whilst seminars have taken place as normal either side of the strike action, the substantial amount of missed teaching has decimated the cumulative learning experience of the semester. Many students have also missed out on a potentially vital ‘Dissertation Research Design’ module, leaving them ill-equipped to complete their dissertations over the summer.

At The University of Manchester, students have been reassured their final grades will be mitigated against the impact of the strike action. On a whole-class basis, module grades will be compared to those in previous years and adjusted accordingly.

Whilst this mitigation is welcomed, it offers no serious recourse for those postgraduate students who feel the learning experience and associated personal development that their courses once promised is forever lost.

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